Unclear on the concept

I usually try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but these guys are making it difficult.

A Danish non-governmental organization has created a simple online video game — colourfully titled Hit the Bitch — that allows players to slap a woman in the face, causing her to become bloody as bruised, as part of an advertising campaign designed to draw attention to domestic violence issues.

The game starts with a video of a young woman walking towards the screen greeting the player in Danish. At a certain point, the video is paused and the name of the game is superimposed on the screen. Users can then choose to either use their mouse or a Webcam to control a realistic male hand.

By moving the mouse back and forth across the screen, the player can slap the woman in the face using the hand on the screen. With each smack the woman’s face becomes increasingly bruised and her tone of voice grows increasingly angry.

After each slap, a power meter along the top of the screen grows from “pussy” to “gangsta.” Once the game’s power meter reaches the “100% Gangsta” side of the screen — after roughly 8 or 10 slaps — the game fades out and shows the player a “100% Idiot” screen.

The game then displays a video of the woman lying on the ground and crying, with what appear to be stats on domestic violence and ways to share the video via Facebook superimposed over her frame in Danish.

I was not able to have a look at the game, since the website restricts access to people based in Denmark. Maybe it’s well done, I don’t know. But it sure doesn’t sound that way – it’s not funny, it’s not particularly clever, and it seems like the kind of thing that would backfire. Has anybody seen it? (Screenshots available here.)

Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page.Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.